No one will argue that video games are among the biggest things in the world at the moment. It would likely be impossible to go a day without hearing of them or seeing them advertised somewhere, whether this be for a review or promotional material. It is easy to understand why there are so highly regarded, the size of the gaming community reaches the billions, making it accurate to say the whole world loves video games. While there are some who like to preach that video games are unproductive and can even be harmful, there are many more who would say that video games are not only great but that they are important.
This might be confusing to some. After all, how can entertainment be important when their main goal is simply to be enjoyed by people? The answer lies by considering how entertainment impacts people quality of life. It should be obvious to everyone that seeking a good quality of life is something that everyone intrinsically follows, as this makes life worth living. There will certainly be no one saying they want a bad quality of life. This is why entertainment is important as it allows us to enjoy ourselves in our spare time. Entertainment helps to break up the adversities we face by allowing us to take a break and retreat into what we love doing best.
When it comes to the type of game I question, no genre does this better than multiplayer games. While single player games certainly can immerse players in carefully crafted video game worlds, they can still often feel empty without any real, human players in the game world. This might suggest why the hottest games always seem to be multiplayer games. While single player games do stay relevant for some time, they can only be played so much before people return to the multiplayer games they know and love, as each experience is different. The same cannot be said for single player games.
Gaming with friends is a social activity, and people generally tend to have more fun when doing things socially. There is no doubt that time passes quicker when enjoying things with other people. This is why multiplayer video games would have been so important during the recent lockdowns, where millions were told they would have to stay inside their homes. Entertainment during this time would have been vital, and while many would have gone online to access entertainment such as online gambling, making a squad with friends would have been the most popular way to pass the time.
Ultimately, the fact that people can have endless fun with friends when playing video games and that multiplayer games can provide players with tough challenges and interesting stories means that they are one of the best forms of escapism there is. No other form of entertainment really matches the kind of immersion that players can receive from multiplayer games. For this reason, many will likely continue to keep playing multiplayer games for as long as the industry is alive.
